Truck wouldn't start
Thread Starter
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Fleet Owner
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 24,552
Likes: 74
From: Creedmoor, North Carolina
Truck wouldn't start
When I went out this morning the ol truck wouldn't hit a lick. There was fire at the coil, fire at the choke, and it was fully closed.
Next I pulled the distributer cap and saw corrosion on the rotor, did a light scrapping with the knife blade, flipped the cap over and saw worse. Again did some scrapping and a good wiping with denatured alcohol. Put it together again & the engine fired up. It is parked on grass all the time and that is absolute worst for ol trucks.
I am going out on a 100 mile run and I'll try to pick up new cap & rotor for the Unilite this afternoon.
John
Next I pulled the distributer cap and saw corrosion on the rotor, did a light scrapping with the knife blade, flipped the cap over and saw worse. Again did some scrapping and a good wiping with denatured alcohol. Put it together again & the engine fired up. It is parked on grass all the time and that is absolute worst for ol trucks.
I am going out on a 100 mile run and I'll try to pick up new cap & rotor for the Unilite this afternoon.
John
Elder User
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 825
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From: Dallas, Texas
Thread Starter
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Fleet Owner
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 24,552
Likes: 74
From: Creedmoor, North Carolina
Don't know zackly the age of the cap, it may be the original with the Uni, but I ran a different dist. for a while. 12 years old if original.
Did not have any issues from the time I got it fired up to my destination. After the truck sat a while I started moving it around to position & leave my trailer. It kept cutting off (just above idle rpms). When I got ready to start home it shut off a couple times until I got rolling and no more issues to the house.
I'll get a new cap & rotor on soon.
Anyone know if I can pick up a rotor at Advance Auto that will fit the Unilite?
John
Did not have any issues from the time I got it fired up to my destination. After the truck sat a while I started moving it around to position & leave my trailer. It kept cutting off (just above idle rpms). When I got ready to start home it shut off a couple times until I got rolling and no more issues to the house.
I'll get a new cap & rotor on soon.
Anyone know if I can pick up a rotor at Advance Auto that will fit the Unilite?
John
Thread Starter
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Fleet Owner
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 24,552
Likes: 74
From: Creedmoor, North Carolina
John
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Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2007
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From: Tucson
John, the unilite has the eye and window setup and they are junk. thats why i switched my internals over to the pertronics ign.
http://forums.mustangworks.com/f10/m...problems-8017/
http://forums.mustangworks.com/f10/m...problems-8017/
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Joined: Oct 2009
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From: Dallas, Texas
John,
I don't think there is anything wrong with a Unilite, per se. Not sure switching to Pertronix is necessary from a working Unilite setup unless there are other problems with it.
My experience is with my Chevrolet V8, but I remember I had a Delco stock HEI distributor and it got corrosion on the cap and rotor. Spark was strong enough it would still fire until it finally there was so much corrosion build up it could not breach the gap and would not start.
As I recall I just cleaned it up and it worked fine after that.
I don't think there is anything wrong with a Unilite, per se. Not sure switching to Pertronix is necessary from a working Unilite setup unless there are other problems with it.
My experience is with my Chevrolet V8, but I remember I had a Delco stock HEI distributor and it got corrosion on the cap and rotor. Spark was strong enough it would still fire until it finally there was so much corrosion build up it could not breach the gap and would not start.
As I recall I just cleaned it up and it worked fine after that.
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 11,564
Likes: 4
From: Tucson
I have one in my truck, Greg. i had issues with mine for 6 months, the problems John is having sound the same as the ones i was having with my truck i went as far as to take it out and take it to dons hot rod shop and have it tested, of corse it did not act up while it was on there machine
But, i read enough forums and talked to enough hotrodders that said they are junk, so i just replaced the internals, Never had a problem after that.
Now, of corse i can't say for sure if this is Johns problem, i'm just telling him what my issue was.
Thread Starter
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Fleet Owner
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 24,552
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From: Creedmoor, North Carolina
Whee doggies, they are proud of them caps, nigh $24.00 for it, .........be here tomorrow.
Bill, I have not had the concerns with the Uni in my truck that you have. The unit has worked well for 12 years, with a spell that I was running the Petronix that I have, it has one hellofa curve to it too. The Petronix was no better than the Uni. I bought the Uni when I bought parts for the rebuild and didn't know about the Petronix. I probably would be just as happy for a lot less money, but since I have spent it, I'll continue using it until.....
Right now it is only acting up at low idle and after it has been run. Not wanting to stay running while I put it in gear to back up. Once I get moving or hold a high idle it runs OK.
We'll see if there are any good news to report.
John
Bill, I have not had the concerns with the Uni in my truck that you have. The unit has worked well for 12 years, with a spell that I was running the Petronix that I have, it has one hellofa curve to it too. The Petronix was no better than the Uni. I bought the Uni when I bought parts for the rebuild and didn't know about the Petronix. I probably would be just as happy for a lot less money, but since I have spent it, I'll continue using it until.....
Right now it is only acting up at low idle and after it has been run. Not wanting to stay running while I put it in gear to back up. Once I get moving or hold a high idle it runs OK.
We'll see if there are any good news to report.
John
